


Who I am Today

by Ignis_Sassentia



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Prompto Spoilers, Gladio is a teddy bear, Ignis appears for a tiny big, M/M, MT Prompto Argentum, Spoilers, Zegnautus Keep, promptio
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-07 10:55:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18409190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ignis_Sassentia/pseuds/Ignis_Sassentia
Summary: My submission for Just You and Me: A Promptio Zine. Prompto and Gladio discuss identity and comfort each other after they're reunited in Zegnautus Keep.





	Who I am Today

It was hard to tell time within the heartless metal walls of Zegnautus Keep. So hard, in fact, that Gladio had completely lost track of how long they’d been running through the echoing halls looking for Prompto. He knew it had been long enough that he and Ignis had forced Noctis to rest twice. Long enough for all three of them to run ragged and start snapping at each other with the stress. Long enough for Gladio to nearly break down and cry when they finally found his boyfriend, strung up like a doll.

But he’d managed to hold it together as they helped their wounded friend back to one of the barracks. He’d buried his intense relief under making sure they were safe and barricaded in the room. He’d hidden himself behind keeping watch as first Noctis, then Ignis talked quietly with Prompto and tended his wounds.

It wasn’t until Noctis started his trademark soft snoring and Ignis gently tapped Gladio on the shoulder that he dared turn toward his boyfriend.

Prompto sat on the bottom mattress of one of the bunk beds, curled against the cold wall as he picked idly at the bracelets on his right wrist. He glanced up with a weak smile as Gladio lowered himself onto the bed. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Gladio cringed internally. Was “hey” really the best he could come up with, after days of travel to get to the damn Keep, and who knew how long inside it? He sucked in a deep breath and forced the shame aside. “You doing okay?”

“Yeah,” Prompto said in the overly-chipper tone Gladio had come to recognize as his lying voice. “Iggy patched me up. Good as new.”

Gladio studied him for a long moment, debating whether or not he should call out the lie. Prompto was obviously _not_ fine. Not in the least. But Gladio also knew his boyfriend preferred to at least pretend he had everything under control. Would breaking that facade help or hurt right now?

“Seriously,” Prompto insisted, smile growing just a little stronger. “I’m okay.”

Instead of pushing the issue, Gladio just shifted and opened his arms. “C’mere.”

Prompto hesitated a moment, but scooted away from the wall. He nestled himself against Gladio’s chest and closed his eyes with a soft sigh.

“I was so worried,” Gladio whispered into the silence after a long moment. His big hands ran gently up and down Prompto’s arm, soothing away goosebumps and bruises. He swallowed hard, struggling with the choking sensation of relief and lingering fear. “Thought you’d...I couldn’t...I’m so sorry, Prom…”

Prompto snorted quietly and shook his head against Gladio’s shoulder. “You’re Noct’s Shield, not mine.”

“I’m _your_ boyfriend.” Gladio sighed and gently kissed the top of Prompto’s head. “If I can’t protect the both of you, what good am I?”

“Well...you make a good pillow.” Prompto chuckled weakly.

“Oh, yeah?” Gladio smirked to himself, tightened his arms around his boyfriend, and flopped back onto the bed. He twisted until he could prop his head on the pillow, Prompto curled up on top of him. “How’s this?”

Prompto hummed quietly and shifted, nudging up under Gladio’s chin. They had lain like that so many times before, in better situations, that the pose itself was more comforting than expected. After a moment, Prompto let out a quiet sigh.

“You okay?” Gladio muttered, hand running soothing circles over Prompto’s back on pure instinct.

“Yeah. Yeah, I…” Prompto trailed off, sucked in a shuddering breath, and whispered, “Yeah, not really.”

Gladio tried not to let every muscle in his body tense. It wasn’t like Prompto to actually admit something was wrong. Normally, he had to practically pull teeth to get Prompto to own up to things being out of the ordinary. “Wanna talk about it?”

Prompto shook his head, fluffy hair tickling along Gladio’s stubble. “No.”

Gladio grunted quietly in agreement and bit his cheek to keep himself from pushing. Instead, he just kept rubbing his boyfriend’s back and holding him close. He wished there was more he could do, but if Prompto didn’t want to talk, his options were limited.

They lay in silence for a long time, listening to Noctis snoring and watching the soft glow of Ignis’ phone play on the walls. Their breathing fell into quiet unison, as it had so many times before. Exhaustion finally settled in Gladio’s bones as the intense fear and subsequent relief finally drained away, erased in Prompto’s warmth and weight on top of him.

He was nearly asleep--finally--when Prompto muttered something against his throat. It took him a moment to blink himself awake enough to respond. “Hm?”

“I’m one of them,” Prompto whispered, voice thick and trembling.

“One of who, babe?” Gladio asked sleepily. He ran his hand up Prompto’s spine to tangle in his boyfriend’s hair, gently scrubbing at his scalp.

Prompto flinched away from the touch, rolling off Gladio’s stomach. He sat up on the edge of the bed and ran his hands over his face. “A Niff. I’m a Niff, Gladio.”

“Who the hell told you that?” Gladio demanded in an angry hiss, all hint of sleepiness disappearing in a wave of anxiety-tinged rage. Prompto had enough to deal with without someone filling his head with lies like that. If Gladio ever got his hands on whoever was messing with his boyfriend, that jackass would regret ever being born.

Prompto shook his head. “It’s not...just...just listen for a sec, will you?”

Jaw so tight he swore he could hear his teeth creak in his head, Gladio carefully sat up. “I’m listening, Prom.”

“Back there, when...before you guys found me, I…” Prompto paused and shuddered. He swallowed audibly before continuing. “The MTs are...they’re clones. They’re all clones of this whacked-out researcher, and...have you...it’s really freaking weird looking at...at _yourself_ in a bunch of big tubes.”

Gladio’s brow furrowed and he leaned down to catch his boyfriend’s eye. “What are you talking about?”

He shook his head again, squeezing his eyes shut and pressing the heels of his palms against his eyelids. “They all look like me. The MTs. I was supposed to be one of them or something. But I...I just...don’t tell Noct. Please?”

“Prompto…” Gladio wanted nothing more than to gather his boyfriend into his arms and hold him tight, find some way to wash away all this pain in Prompto’s body language. But he wasn’t entirely certain that wouldn’t make things worse at the moment. Especially since Prompto looked like he was braced for a blow of some kind.

Gladio swallowed past the pulsing lump in his throat. Did Prompto really expect him to punch him or throw him out of the bed or something? Did Prompto really not trust him? “Take a deep breath, babe. We’ll figure this out.”

“I just told you I’m a Niff and you’re telling me to breathe?” Prompto asked incredulously, though he didn’t lift his head from his hands. “I thought you were supposed to be, like, all high security and stuff. You know, being Noct’s Shield no matter what.”

Gladio’s chest tightened as he recognized one of Prompto’s self-destructive patterns. Like hell was he going to let Prompto get away with it this time. He forced his fists to relax in his lap and reached over to take hold of one of Prompto’s wrists, gently urging him to lower his hand. “Look at me, sweetheart. Please.”

Reluctantly, Prompto did as he was asked. His hands fell limply into his lap and he turned to meet Gladio’s gaze, beautiful blue-violet eyes ringed in red. He sniffled, but said nothing.

“Noct’s safety is my priority. I can’t deny that.” Gladio mentally cursed himself as Prompto winced. All the same, he pushed onward. “But I love _you_. That’s got nothing to do with where you were born or what someone else wanted for you. And I’m not going to stop just because of something in your past. It doesn’t change who you are. Not unless you let it.”

Prompto stared at him, eyes darting back and forth as he studied Gladio’s face. Tears clung to his long lashes and dripped onto freckled cheeks. He sniffled again and sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. “You really mean it?”

“I really mean it,” Gladio whispered earnestly. He gently squeezed Prompto’s wrist and took the chance to scoot a little closer. “I love you, Prompto. And an Amicitia loves for life, so you’re stuck with me, whether you like it or not.”  

“Easy for you to say.” Prompto wiped at his face with the back of his arm. “You’ve always known who you were. You’ve always had family. I...haven’t.”

Gladio snorted before he could stop himself. “You think so? You think I never had doubts and fears? Babe, I tried to convince Dad I was adopted once because I couldn’t get the hang of something he said all Shields should have learned by then. It didn’t stop me from becoming who I am today.”

“But--”

“Your past doesn’t have to define you,” Gladio reiterated, pulling Prompto’s hand up to his lips for a soft kiss. “You have family now: me and Ignis and Noct. Whatever you learned here--whatever that asshole told you--that doesn’t change a damn thing. Not unless _you_ want to act on it. Okay? I swear. You’re still you. You’re still Prompto Argentum, Lucian citizen and member of His Majesty’s Crownsguard. You’re still my boyfriend. Noct’s best friend. Future award-winning photographer.”

That, finally, got Prompto to show the barest hint of a smile. He wiped his face again and shifted to rest his head on Gladio’s shoulder. “Yeah...I guess so.”

Gladio wrapped his arms around Prompto once more and held him loosely, nuzzling against his hair. “I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Prompto whispered. After a moment, he tacked on, “thanks.”

“That’s what boyfriends are for: making you see sense when you’re being a dumbass.”

Prompto pulled away again and swatted playfully at Gladio’s chest. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Oh no?” Gladio grinned at him and slid his hands down Prompto’s arms to tangle their fingers together. “What’d you mean, then?”

“Thanks for...for loving me, I guess.” Prompto smiled weakly down at their joined hands. “I never...you know, I...kind of can’t believe you’re not dumping me.”

Gladio chuckled softly. He disentangled one hand to gently tuck it under Prompto’s chin and lift his head up. “I told you before: Amicitias love for life. Only way you’re getting rid of me is to kill me.”

“Don’t think I could. You’d, like, squash me before I even got close.”

“Nah. You’re fast. You could get a couple good hits in first.”

Prompto giggled, which quickly became the both of them devolving into quiet, hysterical laughter.

They held each other and snickered until they were out of breath, and then some. Gladio knew it was most likely a trauma reaction and they’d have to have many more talks after this--but he didn’t care. All he cared about in that moment was that he had Prompto back. He had Prompto back, mostly safe and sound, and everything else would work itself out somehow.

“Are you both quite all right?” Ignis asked as he peered into the bunk, brows raised in concern.

Prompto nodded breathlessly and Gladio waved the worry off, but neither of them managed to get out a word.

“I see. Well, take care not to wake His Highness, will you?” Ignis cracked the hint of a smile, nodded respectfully, and slipped away again.

“Noct sleeps like a rock,” Prompto gasped as he finally began to catch his breath. “D’you think Iggy’s really worried we’re going to wake him up?”

Gladio barely managed to avoid another round of laughter long enough to suggest, “Well, we could always try.”

Prompto flashed a wicked grin and lunged forward for a hard, relieved kiss.

Finally, Gladio let himself forget about the cold, unfeeling walls and the terrifying labyrinth of Zegnautus Keep. The inability to tell time here had, quite suddenly, become the biggest blessing he’d had in ages.


End file.
